Kazaky (also known as The Boys in Heels) is a Ukrainian all-male dance group, made up originally of Kyryll Fedorenko, Artur Gaspar, Stas Pavlov and Oleg Zhezhel. In August 2011, Pavlov left the group and was replaced by Francesco Borgato.

Assembled in Kiev by Zhezhel, a choreographer, the group has released several songs which have become popular on YouTube. The group confronts gender norms by fusing masculine and feminine attributes together, most notably by regularly wearing stiletto heels.

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Background

"Kazaky" is the Russian pronunciation for the word "Cossacks". The Cossacks had a very prominent role in the shaping of Ukraine's national history and culture. But the group claims that the name has nothing to do with the Cossacks:[1]

"We have nothing to do with historical Cossacks. We have different names and are pronounced differently. In some ways, the Japanese language and culture have influenced our name."

The group's rise in popularity is mostly due to the viral nature of the Internet and YouTube. Their first single, "In the Middle", was released at the end of 2010, earning them the "Breakthrough of the Year" award at the 2010 Myway Dance Awards.

In June 2011, the group performed at the Dsquared Men Spring/Summer 2012 runway show.

On 16 July 2011, they made their American debut at Club 57 in New York City, New York, and performed their single "I'm Just a Dancer" for the first time.[3]

Fashion and style

After Anna Osmekhina made their outfits for the music video of "Love", Kazaky hired her to design their outfits. Their high-heeled shoes are all 5.5 inches (14 centimetres) and they are designed comfortably for their stage performances.[4]

Fashion, singing and dancing are the three points that are very special to them.

Dsquared and Thierry Mugler are two fashion brands who want Kazaky to wear their outfits in their concerts.